Sarutobi rubbed a hand across his face, leaning back in his chair. The last of today's documents had been signed, though there would always be more work tomorrow.
To his surprise, the sun was still shining outside his video, having not yet even begun to set. His eyes drifted to the clock on the wall, which indicated it was barely past five.
He had actually gotten the work done at a reasonable hour for once.
This had not been so rare once, but these days, Sarutobi invariably found himself working late into the night.
Even eight years after the Kyubi's attack, Konoha was still not fully recovered. Every day, Sarutobi had to pour over the reconstruction efforts, decide how best to allocate funding, check reports on the building of new infrastructure to replace what had been lost, the steps to house those who had been rendered homeless and so much more.
It was draining, tiring work, but it had to be done.
Letting loose a tired breath, Sarutobi stood, his bones creaking as he felt the weight of all his decades.
Still, he had some free time today. Perhaps he could visit Naruto before he went home for the night.
He didn't spend nearly as much time with the boy as he'd like, but there was always so much work to be done.
Opening the window, Sarutobi leapt through it, landing gracefully on the roof of a nearby building.
Taking what was for him a leisurely pace, though one that would have shamed the sprinting speed of most jonin, Sarutobi extended his senses, searching for Naruto's chakra signature.
To his mild surprise, Naruto was not at Ichiraku, nor at home. Instead, he was near the Naka River, at a site which Sarutobi recognized after a heartbeat.
A little surprising, but far from unusual. Despite his isolation, Naruto was a lively and outgoing boy, one who was rarely inclined to go home before the sun had set. And Sarutobi could guess what might have drawn Naruto's attention to that particular spot.
The village was still bustling in the evening as Sarutobi made his way across the village, if anything coming more alive as people finished their work for the day, and came out.
It was good to see. Konoha might not yet be fully recovered, but its current state was far, far better than the desolation and despair that had engulfed his home eight years ago, people struggling to survive among the ruins of their home.
Nevertheless, it still hurt a little to see how different things were from before the attack. There still weren't quite as many people as the Third Hokage was used to seeing in the village. Many of the buildings he had long become accustomed to were gone, and their owners were gone with them.
The little restaurant which had been his favourite for decades, and the family which had owned it, who had been dear friends.
The orphanage where Jiraiya and Orochimaru had lived before they had joined the academy, and all the children and caretakers within it.
The small clinic run by a handful of retired medical ninjas, where Biwako had volunteered in her spare time.
Many of them had been replaced, yes, but it wasn't the same and it never would be again.
Pushing away the melancholic thoughts, Sarutobi accelerated his pace, focusing on the matter at hand.
Before long, Sarutobi had arrived near Naruto, the urban sprawl of Konoha replaced by the trees and the grass.
And there was Naruto, peering at a tree over three hundred feet tall, or more specifically, at the sign in front of it.
"Hello, my boy," Sarutobi said gently as he strode up behind Naruto.
The eight-year-old squeaked and spun on the spot, before relaxing when he saw who it was.
"Old man! I was just-"
"Looking at this tree?" Sarutobi finished, puffing on his pipe. "It is a fine specimen indeed."
The tree had been grown by Lord Hashirama long ago when Sarutobi had still just been a child studying under Tobirama-sensei.
That said, it wasn't all that important, in all honesty. The First Hokage had grown a number of trees across Konoha and even constructed many of the village's first houses himself.
Despite its height, it wasn't even all that impressive. There were ordinary trees, if rare ones, which could match it, and the First Hokage had created far more impressive things in his time.
But Lord Hashirama had been fond of this tree, often resting under its shade and bringing his children and grandchildren here, and so it had been marked with a sign, carefully preserved.
Not that it needed much preservation. The leaves were just as vibrant as it had been the day he had first seen Hashirama grow it, and in all his years, never mind the weather or the season, Sarutobi had never seen the tree wither or seem at all weaker or worn down. It had grown taller in the decades since, though not by much.
In any case, it was unsurprising that Naruto, with his dream and fascination with all things involving Hokages, would have been drawn to this tree.
"Did the First Hokage make this tree, old man?" Naruto ventured.
"Indeed," Sarutobi nodded. "This and many others. What do you think of it, Naruto?"
Naruto looked up at the tree, his expression unusually intent and thoughtful. "It's so…green. I've never seen anything so green."
"Yes. It is quite beautiful." Sarutobi mused, looking up at himself.
It was true, trees grown with Mokuton possessed a supernatural resilience and vibrancy that normal ones could not match.
Even young Tenzo's work, for all that it could not compare to the First Hokage's, was quite impressive in their own right.
"How'd the First make something like this, gramps?" Naruto asked, his voice hesitant but curious. "Could I do it too?"
Sarutobi winced, already feeling bad for crushing the boy's dreams. "I'm afraid not. Lord Hashirama had a special talent, called Mokuton. Nobody since him has ever possessed it, I fear." Except for Tenzo, but the young shinobi's existence was a carefully guarded secret, not one to be told to excitable children.
"Oh," Naruto said, disappointment visible on his face, tugging on the Third Hokage's heartstrings. He had failed the boy in so many ways already, and even though this was such a small thing, it still felt terrible.
"Though that is not to say you could not grow plants of your own, of course," Sarutobi added quickly. "Anyone can grow a plant if they know how."
Naruto's eyes lit up at the idea, clearly intrigued. "Really?"
"I don't see any reason why not," Sarutobi said, taking another puff of his pipe. "It will take a lot of concentration, however. A plant needs a great deal of attention and care, and you will need to be careful with it."
"I wanna try," Naruto said determinedly. "I can do it!"
"Very well," Sarutobi chuckled. "Now, to begin with…"
Over the next few days, Sarutobi purchased a small plant for Naruto to keep at home and taught him the basics of it, as well as buying him a gardening manual.
Truth be told, he had expected Naruto's interest in the plants to waver quickly, easily distracted as the boy was, but Naruto proved dedicated. He lavished his little tree with love and attention, even giving it a name: Mr Ukki. He read the entire gardening manual, and according to the reports of his ANBU guards, rigorously followed the routine that Sarutobi had made for him.
Naruto made a few mistakes, of course, as everyone did when learning something new, but the boy seemed to have a genuine affinity for the plants.
It was a good hobby for Naruto to have, so Sarutobi encouraged it, hoping the boy would learn some focus and discipline from it.
It was only much later that the Third Hokage would look back and realize that this was where it had all begun.
Oh no!
Naruto panicked as he stared at Mr Ukki, the little plant looking sad, its leaves drooping.
He didn't know what to do. It had been a gift from Gramps, and he would be so disappointed when he learned Naruto had killed it.
The blonde clutched his hair helplessly. He didn't even know what he had done wrong. Had he 'overwatered' it like the manual said you shouldn't do? Not watered it enough? He wasn't sure.
"When you channel chakra into an object, it grows stronger. This effect works best with chakra conductive materials, but a skilled shinobi can use almost anything as a focus."
Naruto paused as Iruka-sensei's lecture from the morning came to him.
Peering at Mr Ukki, Naruto wondered if channelling kachra into the plant would help too. It was difficult to remember what exactly Iruka-sensei had said, and Naruto wished he had listened harder.
But kachra was supposed to make things better, right? Maybe it would make the plant better too.
Naruto reached out to touch the leaves of the plant, hesitating as he wondered what to do.
Another memory came to mind, of Iruka-sensei putting leaves on their forehead and telling them to concentrate on it and pour kachra into it.
Maybe the same thing would work here. Naruto focused, trying to replicate that feeling, hoping desperately that it would fix the plant.
For a moment, nothing happened.
But then, to Naruto's delight, the leaves brightened and straightened, no longer drooping. The green colour returned, brighter than it had ever been before.
But it didn't stop there. Under Naruto's startled eyes, the plant kept growing, swelling to more than twice its height until Naruto pulled his hand back in shock.
The plant abruptly stopped growing, but it remained larger than it ever had been before, brighter in a way that reminded Naruto of the First Hokage's tree.
But even as Naruto scratched his head in confusion, he couldn't help but be pleased.
Maybe he could do like the First Hokage had!
He couldn't wait to show the old man what he'd done.
Unbeknown to Naruto as he excitedly stared at the plant, his guards had been watching his work with the same astonishment mixed with incredulity as Naruto made the plant grow. They were ready to jump in if Naruto hurt himself, but when the plant stopped growing and the moment seemed to pass, they quietly spoke among themselves in hushed whispers and frantic hand gestures.
Not a moment later, one of them left, making a beeline for Sarutobi's office.
The Hokage needed to know about this.